Greater Good Evana

A couple times a year I take a break from IPAs, I get burned out on all of the hop bombs so I spend a month or so focusing on other styles of beer I enjoy. The winter is usually one of the best times to go hop-free, I can drink lots of big and malty stouts, porters, barleywines and other similar styles. Any diligent follower of the blog can see that I’ve focused my reviews over the last few months on these styles too, they are perfect for these cold and dark parts of the year. Greater Good, a brewery that specializes in big beers, is a great brand to check out during the winter, and it has been way to long since I wrote up one of their beers. Since my last Greater Good review they have opened their brewery and taproom in Worcester, I haven’t made the trip yet but I’ve heard good things. At the taproom they offer some “normal” strength beers (which is probably good if people need to drive), but their distribution is still focused on their all-imperial core lineup. One of these core beers is Evana, an imperial stout brewed with cocoa nibs. Greater Good Evana is available on a rotating basis on draft and in 16 oz cans.

Greater Good Evana pours pitch black with a solid brown head. The aroma is loaded with rich roasted malts. The malt leads the flavor too, notes of espresso, dark chocolate, black licorice and tobacco. This is complemented by some mild hop character, hints of earth and pine along with a touch of late bitterness. Evana is full bodied but drinks very easy for a beer with 10% ABV, just a little booze on the tongue as the beer warms. The finish is crisp with some lingering malt flavor and hop bite. This is another tasty big beer from Greater Good, tons of flavor but still goes down pretty easy, perfect to keep you warm during the cold and snowy nights. Hoppy Boston score: 4.25/5.